Page 53 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

Brooke took a seat next to her mother’s chair. It was so strange being back there. It was a mix of a warm homecoming and a sense of no longer belonging. It was quite confusing.

Her mother slid the glass across the table to her. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon?”

Brooke had been trying not to think about it because every time she did, she ended up in tears. She glanced at her mother, who was giving her a pointed stare. There was no avoiding the subject now.

“Yes.” Her answer was soft as she fought back a wave of emotion.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you. And I knew if I called, you’d tell me not to come.”

Her mother’s eyes filled with emotion. Was it sympathy? Or regret? “I’m so sorry. This shouldn’t have gone on for so long. It’s just your father was getting all sorts of grief from Josh’s father down at the grain mill. It’s been such a mess. But things are better now. And I’m so happy to see you. You don’t know how much I missed you.” She glanced toward the door. “Where’s Logan? You didn’t leave him in the car, did you?”

Brooke shook her head. “He’s not with me.”

“Not with you?” Her mother’s forehead scrunched up, and her lips pursed as though she wanted to say something but didn’t know what the words should be.

Brooke swallowed hard, hoping when she spoke her voice didn’t betray her raging emotions. “We…um, didn’t get married.”

Her mother’s voice rose. “You didn’t? But why not?” When Brooke failed to answer, her mother asked, “Brooke, you didn’t run away from your wedding again, did you?”

“It’s not the same.” Her denial came out much too quickly.

“Oh, Brooke.” Her mother reached out, placing her hand over Brooke’s and squeezed. “Why do you keep doing this?”

Tears stung the backs of Brooke’s eyes. She blinked repeatedly. “You don’t understand. I really do love Logan.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Because you weren’t there.” She stared at her mother. “Because it was too rushed. Because it didn’t feel like my wedding.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

The tenderness of her mother’s voice tipped her emotions, and tears spilled onto Brooke’s cheeks. “I… I’ve made a mess of everything.”

“Does Logan know you’re here?”

“No. I… I don’t know what to say to him.”

“Tell him what you told me. It’s a good start.”

She swiped at her cheeks. “He probably doesn’t want to hear from me. Not after the way I bailed on the wedding.”

“You won’t know until you try and call him.”

“Maybe I’ll do that later.” She feared Logan would hang up on her before she had a chance to explain her actions. Not that she would blame him. “Right now, I need to go see Dad. Do you think he’ll speak to me?”

“I think your father has realized you made the right decision. After he had to deal with Josh’s father, who turned your father’s business away at the grain mill, he realized that wasn’t the sort of family he wanted his daughter to marry into.” Her mother got to her feet. “You call Logan, and I’ll go out to the barn to find your father.”

Brooke sighed and nodded. She knew she’d put this off longer than she should have, but once she hit the Nevada state line, she knew it didn’t matter how much she loved Logan. There would be no fixing this. She just needed him to understand her reason for calling off the wedding.

Her mouth suddenly felt dry. She took a drink of the homemade lemonade. It tasted just as good as it had when she was a little girl and would come in from riding her horse. Oh, how she missed those days when her biggest worry was getting sunburned from spending too much time outside.

Realizing she was procrastinating again, she got up and moved to the back porch. She pulled out her phone and found she only had one bar of reception. She moved about the porch until she found a spot where she received two bars.

She noticed the tremble in her hand as she ran her finger over the face of her phone. She pressed it to her ear. The phone didn’t even ring but rather went straight to voicemail.

“It’s Logan.” The warmth of his deep voice washed over her, leaving her with a deep, longing to feel his arms around her. “Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

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